Sunday, May 11, 2025
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Mother’s Day

Scripture Readings:

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

John 10:1-10
“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

The Good Shepherd: Listening to Voices We Trust

1. Our readings.
Most of the texts of the New Testament were written between the years 50 and 100 AD. This morning we read from the Book of Acts and the Gospel of John. In Acts we have a glimpse of early Christian life. And in John, we have the well-known passage about Jesus the Good Shepherd. Written so long ago, and yet these ancient texts still speak to us today. They offer us insight into leadership and trust. They remind us of the importance of trustworthy leadership as we strive to live together as a nation, a society, and as a faith community.

2. Successful Communities.
Our reading from Acts describes an idealized Christian community. The community described in Acts was successful in two ways: the people were devoted to the apostles’ teachings, and they shared their resources with each other. They broke bread together and ate their food with glad and generous hearts. In general, people in successful communities have trustworthy leadership; they enjoy spending time together, eating together, and sharing things with each other.

3. Trustworthy Leadership.
In John’s Gospel we read the description of the Good Shepherd. In the text, Jesus describes what a trustworthy leader is and what a trustworthy leader is not. A trustworthy leader is focused on the well-being of the entire community. This is leadership that does not have hidden self-centered agendas. Unfortunately, we see this all too often these days: leaders who abuse their positions to gain personal power, influence and wealth. They are driven by the needs of their own ego rather than the needs of the organization they lead. But the Good Shepherd is a higher example of leadership.
The Good Shepherd walks through the gate, the main entrance, in plain sight, with no hidden agendas, while bandits and thieves climb fences, trying to avoid being seen. And the sheep know the Good Shepherd’s voice. They trust the Shepherd, and they will not respond to a stranger’s voice.

4. The Voices We Should Be Listening To.
The human voice is a very interesting thing. Each person’s voice is unique, with a unique resonance, and inflection. We instantly recognize voices we know, and the sound of someone’s voice we know immediately brings up all kinds of memories, associations, and thoughts about that person.
However, we live in a time when it is increasingly difficult to trust. We are constantly sifting through lies, spam, propaganda, and spin. The smoothest voices are often the ones with the most spin. The purest, most innocent sounds may be layered with hidden self-centered agendas. This can be confusing and irritating. But Jesus says, “I am the gate. I am the Good Shepherd.” “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that you may have life and have it abundantly.” “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Trustworthy leadership is focused on the well-being of the flock.

The truth matters.
There is a bumper sticker I occasionally see these days with the words, “Truth Matters.” I find it a sad statement that this needs to be said. Of course, truth matters. And yet, there it is. We need to be reminded that truth matters. It’s a sad statement, and yet it speaks to the condition of our public discourse. There are so many voices competing for our attention, so many lies. But we would do well to only listen to those voices which we know are credible, legitimate, and knowledgeable: the voices of people who are working to do good in the world. These are the people who walk straight through the gate. They are not bandits and thieves. They are not trying to get something in exchange. They are not fast-talking carnival barkers selling ginzu knives or bridges in Arizona. They are not promoting themselves, but they have devoted their lives to service. We should not be listening to people whose highest concern is making money. We should not be listening to people who care more about money and power than the lives of human beings.

Rather, let us listen to the still small voice that speaks within our own heart. This is the voice of our highest intuition and inspiration. And when we need to find expert advice, let us seek the advice of a Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd walks straight through the gate. The Good Shepherd cares about the lives of all beings, cherishes every life, loves each life. These are the voices of people who will tell us the truth.

“The Good Shepherd” means brave leadership.
The Good Shepherd walks straight through the gate, through the main entrance, in plain sight, while bandits and thieves climb fences, trying to avoid being seen. And the sheep know the Good Shepherd’s voice. They will not respond to the voices of thieves and bandits. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Let us remember all those who have laid down their lives speaking the truth. Let us listen to these voices, the ones we can trust. Jesus said, “The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.” Let us not listen to the voices of those who do not care about others, but only care about themselves. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Dear People, I don’t know about you, but I am listening these days. I am listening for voices like this. Voices that have been vetted. Voices that have been through the test of time and public scrutiny. Voices that care about feeding hungry people, voices without personal agendas or the need for attention. And I am listening to hear voices that speak the truth, without a spin, even when it gets them in trouble. I am listening for voices that respond to people who call out for help, because I need to hear some voices I trust. And I am listening for kind and caring voices of courageous souls who go beyond their limits, working to help others in conditions stressful beyond my comprehension. And I am listening to hear the still small voice of my own heart.

“So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”” Amen? Amen.